Tar Heels want to play at a faster tempo

September 05, 2012|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

NCAAF Team Report - North Carolina - INSIDE SLANT

North Carolina ran off 74 plays in dispatching Elon, 62-0, in its opener, but coach Larry Fedora and offensive coordinator Blake Anderson want the Tar Heels to pick up the pace against Wake Forest in the ACC opener.

That's a responsibility junior quarterback Bryn Renner said he has to assume.

"As far as getting that tempo going, it starts with me," Renner said. "I think I did a poor job today. I think coach Anderson and coach Fedora would agree, so definitely it starts with me getting to the ball and making calls."

Communication in the new no-huddle spread offense was one issue.

"I think he was being really cautious in how he communicated, and it slowed things down," Anderson said. "We talked about it a lot between series, tried to pick it up.

"To be honest with you, the game got to a position where tempo wasn't as big a concern. We've got a lot of work left to do. It was a start that I think we can get better from."

One thing in his favor, Renner was very effective. He passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns in completing 14-of-21 passes. He also ran for 13 yards on four carries and made his first college reception before turning the offense over to backup Marquise Williams.

-----------------------------------------------

NCAAF Team Report - North Carolina - INSIDE SLANT

North Carolina ran off 74 plays in dispatching Elon, 62-0, in its opener, but coach Larry Fedora and offensive coordinator Blake Anderson want the Tar Heels to pick up the pace against Wake Forest in the ACC opener.

That's a responsibility junior quarterback Bryn Renner said he has to assume.

"As far as getting that tempo going, it starts with me," Renner said. "I think I did a poor job today. I think coach Anderson and coach Fedora would agree, so definitely it starts with me getting to the ball and making calls."

Communication in the new no-huddle spread offense was one issue.

"I think he was being really cautious in how he communicated, and it slowed things down," Anderson said. "We talked about it a lot between series, tried to pick it up.

"To be honest with you, the game got to a position where tempo wasn't as big a concern. We've got a lot of work left to do. It was a start that I think we can get better from."

One thing in his favor, Renner was very effective. He passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns in completing 14-of-21 passes. He also ran for 13 yards on four carries and made his first college reception before turning the offense over to backup Marquise Williams.

-----------------------------------------------

NCAAF Team Report - North Carolina - NOTES, QUOTES

--Somewhat lost in all the attention given RB Giovani Bernard's spectacular game (203 yards rushing, receiving, and returning) and the pace of the offense, was the play of the secondary in North Carolina's opening victory. CBs Jabari Price and Tim Scott each came up with interceptions, and the defense allowed Elon only 128 yards passing. Elon WR Aaron Mellette, the leading receiver in FCS statistics last year, had only two catches for nine yards.

--Much of North Carolina's playbook remains to be unveiled, as the Tar Heels kept things pretty simple in the victory over Elon. "We wanted to make sure we could do the basic stuff well, and I think we did that today," junior QB Bryn Renner said. "I think we made a lot of progress, and we had a good look at the young guys, and we saw that they could play and contribute."

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: North Carolina had success in every phase of the game in 62-0 rout of Elon in the opener. Junior QB Bryn Renner, in his second year as a starter, was 14-of-21 passing. Sophomore RB Giovani Bernard had a big day with 93 yards on only nine carries. He scored a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown, and a returning touchdown on a punt runback. For the game, 14 players caught passes, with senior WR Erik Highsmith's three receptions leading the way.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Carolina dominated Elon. Senior LB Kevin Reddick showed he is going to thrive in the new 4-2-5 scheme, and senior DT Sylvester Williams came up with two sacks. Junior CB Jabari Price had the only interception.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Lighten his load? He carried the ball nine times. We're not going to lighten it. We're going to keep him going." -- Coach Larry Fedora, asked if was going to lighten the load on RB Giovani Bernard.